Prof. Bennett Gershman comments on a prosecutor under investigation in a DNA exoneration case

The Austin American-Statesman turned to Prof. Bennett Gershman, an expert on prosecutorial ethics, for his perspective on a former Williamson County (TX) District Attorney under investigation in a DNA exoneration case.

According to the story, attorneys for Michael Morton are now investigating former District Attorney Ken Anderson. The lawyers have combed court records, interviewed current and former county officials, and forced Anderson to answer questions under oath and against his will, as they attempt to “flesh out allegations that Anderson hid evidence that could have spared Morton from serving almost 25 years in prison for the murder of his wife, Christine.”

Prof. Gershman told the newspaper that several states have created innocence commissions to examine wrongful convictions in hopes of avoiding future mistakes.

But he said he has heard of no similar post-exoneration investigations led by defense lawyers that seek to assign blame for a wrongful conviction.